Gen. Orris S. Ferry, U.S. Senator

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Gen. Orris Sanford Ferry

Birthdate:
Birthplace: Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Death: November 21, 1875 (52)
Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Place of Burial: Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Starr Ferry and Esther Ferry
Husband of Charlotte Charity Ferry
Father of Charlotte Mary Ferry and Mary Bissell Ferry
Brother of Clark Blackman Ferry; Ebenezer Leroy Ferry; Phebe Maria Ferry; George Ferry; Maria Esther Randall and 2 others

Managed by: Van Souders
Last Updated:

About Gen. Orris S. Ferry, U.S. Senator

General Orris Sanford Ferry, U.S. Senator & Representative

Civil War Union Brigadier General, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator. A successful Connecticut lawyer, he was a member of the State Senate, 1855 to 1856 and was prosecuting attorney for Fairfield County, 1856 to 1859. In 1859, he was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving until 1861. At the start of the Civil War, he joined the Union army as Colonel in command of the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and saw action in the Shenandoah Valley. He was promoted to Brigadier General in March 1862 and commanded the 2nd Brigade during General "Stonewall" Jackson's Valley Campaign. From 1863 to 1865, his brigade reinforced the Army of the Potomac on the Eastern peninsula, was commander of the 3rd division, X Corps, Army in South Carolina and participated in actions at Petersburg. After the war, he was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1866 and served until his death.
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Brigadier General Ferry was born in Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut, August 15, 1823. He was graduated at Yale College in 1844, studied law, was admitted to the bar and began the practice of his profession in Norwalk. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 1st division of Connecticut militia in 1847, was judge of probate for the district of Norwalk from 1849-1856, and was elected to the state senate in 1855 and 1856.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1856, was elected two years later, and was again defeated in 1860. He zealously supported the national government when the Civil war broke out, became colonel of the 5th Connecticut regiment in July, 1861, joined General Banks' corps in Maryland, and on March 17, 1862, was promoted brigadier-general and assigned a brigade in Shields' division. He was subsequently transferred to Peck's division of the 4th army corps under General Keyes.

He served until the close of the war, being brevetted major- general of volunteers, May 23, 1865, for gallant and distinguished service in the battles of the Peninsula and the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, and resigned June 15, 1865. After the war, in 1866, he was elected United States senator from Connecticut, and in 1872 he was re-elected. He died in Norwalk, Connecticut, November 21, 1875. Source: The Union Army, vol. 8

Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 27 2021, 7:54:23 UTC

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Gen. Orris S. Ferry, U.S. Senator's Timeline

1823
August 15, 1823
Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
1875
November 21, 1875
Age 52
Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
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Norwalk Union Cemetery, Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States